Divinity and Darkness: Destined Duel in Paradise
In a mansion located in the mountains of Fiore, a young woman wandered the halls. Outside, the moon shined brightly in the night sky, the stars merely little specks in light of its splendor. Inside the mansion, there was no light, and yet the woman saw perfectly, her eyes glowing slightly, as if she were a cat. With her advantage, even the most blackest night was as clear as day to her. And with her curious nature piqued, such a night was like a paradise for her, the freedom to roam and explore. Something was calling out to her, something she couldn’t explain, and yet she needed to find it, the something that begged her to find it on that night. It did seem, to her, quite foreboding that it was the night before the Dragon King’s Festival that her sleep was interrupted by a mysterious force. The only thing she knew for certain, the whatever it was that wanted her to find it told her to get to the mansion’s library, and that she’d find her answers there. Reaching the door she was searching for, she quietly opened the door, keeping any un-needed movement to a limit to cut down on the sounds. Entering the room, she closed the door, hearing it latch with a soft click. Once the door was shut, she began to scour the room, the voice growing louder and louder as she moved through the room. After a few moments, she found the source of it all, an old book that looked ready to fall apart at the slightest touch. The moment she held it in her hands, a strange wind kicked up as the book opened itself, stopping on what the woman assumed was a random page. Yet, when she read it, she saw something that made her eyes widen in shock and her breath hitch in her throat; there, on the page, was her name, Morgan Deschain. “Impossible...” she breathed out as she read other names on the page. Every one of those names belonged to people long dead, legendary Dragon Slayers one and all. “Why is...how is my name on this list?” Before Morgan could continue to ponder the events, a bright flash of light filled her vision. In a single moment, she felt herself being transported by a very powerful magic. As the feeling and the light receded, she felt cold winds and snow. With a start, it dawned on her that whatever happened, she wasn’t anywhere near her home. “Where am I?” she whispered, trying to get a grip on her nerves. Deciding that simply standing around wasn’t going to help her situation, she ran from the area, trying to find anyone who could help her find her way back to her family, back to the only safety she ever knew. Just being out in the open filled her with the old dread, the feeling of being hunted by the monster that gave her the power to kill dragons, and the longer she was exposed, she knew the odds of being found rose rapidly. "Heavenly ancestors damn this weather." cursed a greatly aggrevated woman. The cold is not really an issue for her as the cold had never really bothered her. Add that to her snow white tuxedo, red tie, coat and fur hat, and the cold did little to affect her. To her, the true issue was that the cursed winds was so kind as to blow the falling snowflakes right in her face, half blinding her. As she continuously trudged through the endless snowy wastes, she more than once came to quetion her own reasons for not simply flying over all the snow. But she knew very well, despite her impatient nature, that she needed to save her reserves for far more important matters. "I swear, ancestors, you better allow me to find this person lightning quick, or I am leaving you all behind." She muttered angrily as she continued her trudging. As Morgan traversed the strange, snow-laden area, she kept herself focused, looking any clue of where she was, or any semblance of civilization. Thankfully, she was used to moving through even the harshest of environments, so the chilly winds were more of a mild annoyance than anything. After walking for what felt like ten minutes, her hyper-sensitive nose picked up the scent of someone or something. Within two minutes, she found the source of the scent and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked up to the stranger. “Excuse me, I’m lost. Can you help me?” she asked, trying to keep herself calm despite the ever-mounting fear of being found. Carwen Khapree turned her gaze towards where the sound came from. Could it... She continued forward towards the sound until she saw a young girl clad in black and with a slight tint of fear in her blue eyes. Carwen gave a kind smile and a short nod. She was not yet certain if this were to be her opponent so she'd rather not start something based off of assumptions. I hope that she isn't. Don't seem like she would last long. Morgan smiled despite the fear coursing through her. “I don’t know where I am and I can’t find my way home...” she trailed off for a moment before speaking again, trying to explain herself. “I don’t even know how I ended up here. I don’t even know where here is.” "...That's an odd set of circumstances. As for where here is, we are not far away from mt. Hakobe. I don't know what else to tell you. Hm... perhaps if you told me a bit about what happened before you ended up here could help us to figure this out." “I was..I was in the library, and I found a weird book. It opened itself and then...” she tried to remember what happened before she was suddenly removed from her home. “In the book was the names of a lot of the old Dragon Slayers, and when I read the page, there was a flash, then I was here.” she finished, leaving out the fact she was among that list, a mystery that she wanted to unravel, the impossibility of it still boggling her mind. "That's...new, to say the least. So it was a book about Dragon Slayer, huh? Perhaps there was something off about the book? Was there any magical traces from it, did it leave you with some sort of impression?" Morgan nodded. “I recognized a few of the names of some of the more famous Slayers. But then I saw a name that shouldn’t have been there, it didn’t make sense. Almost all of those Dragon Slayers are dead. How could I...I mean...” she sighed, realizing that in her confusion she let it slip. “Other than me, all the names are those of the legends from over two hundred years ago. It doesn’t make sense.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “It was like the book wanted me to find it, it kept calling out to me, like it wanted to be found.” "You're a Dragon Slayer too? Yes! Oh, blessed ancestors, I thank you!" She cried out in pure joy. Her search was over at last. This has to be her! Thanks once again, lords and ladies. Oh, and pardon me for threatening to abandon you... I didn't mean it!... Really! "In that case, I'd be more than happy to assisst you in finding your way home. But first of all, a little question if you don't mind." Morgan took a careful step back as the stranger in front of her began to act strangely shouting what sounded to her like gibberish. “Um, what kind of question?” she asked, a hopeful look on her face. She felt a bit better, knowing that perhaps she could be closer to getting home than before. It was a relief for her. “If it means getting home, I’ll answer anything.” Carwen took a few steps forward to slightly close teh gap that had grown even further between the two of them. In mere seconds, her soft and kind smile turned into a predatory grin. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the Dragon Slayer Royale, would you?". Not letting her gaze wander away from the young girl, Carwen digs into her pocket and from it she pulls out an enchanted map that shows your current position and to which direction you are heading. "Oh, and these are your's. I have no further need for them anyway." “The Dragon Slayer Battle Royale?” Morgan asked. “I’ve never heard of it.” Although she kept a perfectly straight face, it was in fact a lie, more to protect her own sanity than to disguise the truth of the matter. She knew of the infamous war between the Dragon Slayers of old, hearing of them from Jadow, also known as the Dark Dragon King, her former captor. As she touched the enchanted map, she pictured the mansion in her mind, hoping that the magical device would be able to show her the way. After a few seconds to calibrate, the map displayed a message, written in red light: The location you’re trying to find cannot be found. Morgan’s hopeful smile fell into a distraught frown. “That can’t be right. It can’t be. I was just there!” she yelled, more confused than ever before. Frantic confusion could be seen in her eyes. “How can the mansion not be there?” "Sorry dear, but I am not willing to belive that it is mere coincidence that you and i met in this ancestorforsaken area, both of us are dragon slayers while a world known royale is going on, and you end up here from nowhere. I'm gonna take it as a sign and proceed with what I came here for.". Carwen then put a lot of force into her next step, launching her forward towards the young girl, fist reeled back and ready to strike while radiating a crackling and dazzling blue light. "Divine Dragon's Iron Fist!" Morgan's eyes widened as she witnessed the unexpected attack. "Light magic?" she thought, as she backed away with a stunning display of her speed, a flickering after-image left in her wake. Unnerved by the sudden attack, she scowled. “So, you’re a Slayer too. That explains why you knew about the battle.” As she spoke, her scowl changed into a sadistic sneer. “I guess that I have to fight to get home.” Without so much as a warning, she knew the most effective way to return the sudden strike. “Darkness Dragon’s Wingbeat!” She flashed forward once again, a mere black and blue blur in motion. After closing the gap, the nature of her spell was revealed. A mass of purple magical energy surrounded her right hand, now curled into a fist, a stream of residual power trailing behind, shaped into a draconic wing. She aimed her enhanced punch straight at the stranger’s jaw, hoping to end the fight outright. The young girl's speed was beyond impressive, Carwen was going to give her that. Too bad for her, it was nothing she couldn't keep up with if she was only given a small push. "Divine Propulsion" She said calmly as her opponent closed in on her. In that moment, small propulsors appeared beneath her feet which launched her into the air. The power of the Iron Fist still in hand, she then flipped and through the propulsors, sent herself hurtling downwards to deliver the punch that missed the first time she attempted it. "I'm not going down that easily!" Watching as her opponent flew into the sky with a hint of amazement in her eyes, Morgan readied herself for what was to come. The Light Magic-infused fist smashed into her shoulder, causing her to hiss in pain. “''I’ve endured far worse...this is nothing''.” she told herself. Surging more magical energy into her still-enhanced fist, the dark force blazed around her hand. “I won’t lose here...not to you!” she yelled, the black wing-shaped effigy extending far beyond her arm, swinging forward like a blade, a razor-sharp wing of pure darkness, the true power of the Darkness Dragon’s Wingbeat. With a smirk, she wondered how her opponent would handle the wing-blade. Carwen gasped. She knew very well what kind of damage that could cause if it were to hit. I've already placed one slowing stigmata on her. If i can get a few more on her, i will have a better chance of winning, and my strikes can deal more damage. But i gotta get higher up for that. She thought frantically. She used the propulsions to get higher up once more, but depsite the slowing Divine Stigmata she still proved to be too fast this time around. The wingbeat came towards her and sliced her left leg open halfway through the tibia. Carwen screamed in agony. "Damn you, you whore!" She cried out, tears welling up in her eyes. "Try some of this on! Taste the might of a righteous army!" In her two hands formed two orbs of crackling blue light which grew in greater size and intensity. once she deemed them fit she clapped her hands hard, shattering the orbs, allowing for a rain of light arrows to hail down upon her target. "Crusader's Volley!" Morgan tried to evade the arrow-like blasts, her speed slightly decreasing as she moved. To her, it felt like a weight was pressing down on her, slowing her enough that she had some trouble. It was like her body couldn’t keep up with what she wanted, needed, to do. One of the arrows nicked her arm, causing a surprising amount of pain for such a small injury. Looking at the wound, she saw a glowing mark begin to form as the pressure bearing down on her increased. “''Her magic...it’s weighing me down''.” she thought, realizing that the battle ahead would be far more difficult than before with such a handicap. “'Darkness Dragon’s Roar!'” With a sharp inhalation, she gathered her power, unleashing it in a ebony black wave, the purest form of a Dragon Slayer’s might. "Huh, she is a mighty fine Slayer. Guess i'll really have to push it." she said as the roar was rapidly closing in on her. I'll have to use the secret arts if I want to win this one. ''"Behold the weapon which slays gods!" Carwen cried out. She channeled her crackling blue light into the palm of her hand and from it she shaped a long and impressive spear. "'Secret Art: Lance of Longinus!" Carwen then proceeded to throw the spear straight towards the roar and the slayer that stood behind it. The spear traveled at remarkable speeds, piercing through the darkness of the roar and straight towards Morgan. Once the sword had pierced through the darkness, Carwen clapped her hands together, disappearing in a flash. She was now right next to the spear, holding it and sending it and herself towards their target at even greater speeds thanks to the '''Divine Propulsion. The girl is fast. So I'll have to be faster. Watching as her Roar was torn apart by her opponent’s spell, Morgan smirked. She could feel the bloodlust rising in her, the desire to simply destroy whatever stood between her and what she desired most. The moment before the lance pierced her, she activated her Darkness Dragon’s Talons, sheathing her hands in claws of darkness. Using her newly empowered hands, she reached out and took hold of the spear, moving it so that it barely missed her entirely. Without missing a beat, she used her free hand to swipe at her opponent with razor-sharp talons born from the darkness. Carwen spared a glance towards Morgan, outright shocked that the young wizard was capable of grabbing her spear and redirecting it while still being limited by the stigmatas. Are you even Human? Not having the time to ponder her opponents skills any further, she beheld the talons of darkness closing in on her and she smiled. It might cost me, but she won't be able to avoid it while this close. Similar to how she did it before, she channeled the light into her palm, shattering it as she clenched her fist. She thrust her hand forward towards the talons, fireing off the pieces of light like a shotgun. "Divine Dragon's Hail Shot!" Morgan began to panic. Normally, she'd have no problem with such an attack, but in her current state it was futile. She felt a number of the shards of light piercing her, even damaging her dark claws. She rolled away from the remaining blasts, feeling a burning sensation racing through her as a third mark manifested. "Her attacks are getting stronger...I have to...end this soon." she thought. "Darkness Dragon's Fangs!" As she called out the name of her spell, she thrust her hands forward, firing a massive array of black, fang-shaped blasts of her own. And that's three. She is at her weakest at this point. This is my chance! But first... Carwen's lance did not have much power left in it, so it would have to be used one final time. And with a bit of luck, it would pay off greatly. She released her propulsions, landing on her one good leg and grabbed the spear of light firmly in her right hand. She then threw it with great might, straight past all the shadowy projectiles. It sailed straight through and was making it's way towards Morgan. But before it was out of the clear, Carwen took a total of five blasts to her frame. And while each alone did not cause much, the combined for force of them delivered quite a blow to her frame. But before any more could make impact, she clapped her hands together and was once more transported to the spear. THe moment she did so, it diappeared. But it din't matter for ithad served it's purpose. Not too close, she'll just block or dodge me then. she brought her hands together and between them one could see something that looked akeen to her propulsions take form. She thrust forward and cried out: "DIVINE BLAZE ENGINE!" and from her hands came a colossal burst of propulsion energy. The ground crumbled in it's wake, and the wide beam was heading straight for the Darkness Dragon Slayer. Category:Dragon Slayer Royale